Mauritsz de Kort appointed Joint Court of Justice VP

THE HAGUE - Judge Mauritsz de Kort (43) will become the new vice-president of the Joint Court of Justice for the Curaçao and Bonaire branches.

The Kingdom Council of Ministers, on Friday, approved the proposal of Dutch Minister of Security and Justice Stef Blok, also on behalf of the Ministers of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten. The appointment will go into effect on April 1, 2017.

De Kort will take on the position as vice-president, which was held by Eunice Saleh until she became the new President of the Joint Court of Justice per January 1, 2017. De Kort has been working for the Joint Court of Justice since 2007.

After successfully completing the intensive study trajectory to become a judge, De Kort was appointed judge in Curaçao and since 2015 he has been working at the Courts in St. Maarten and St. Eustatius. De Kort has also acted as press Judge in the past, a function that has earned him much respect and appreciation of the media on the islands.

The Kingdom Council of Ministers also approved the appointment of Kimberly Lasten (31) as Acting Member of the Joint Court of Justice. Lasten, who formerly worked at the law offices Sulvaran & Peterson, is studying to become a judge and this appointment would enable her to gain experience in appeal cases.